- Cantaloupe's 2025 Micropayment Trends Report highlights a significant shift towards cashless payments in self-service retail environments.
- 96% of micro market and 100% of Smart Store transactions in 2024 were cashless, leading to increased revenue for operators.
- Self-service sales are strong despite inflation, with vending sales surpassing $3.5 billion and micro market sales topping $1 billion in 2024.
Cantaloupe, Inc. (CTLP, Financial), a prominent provider of self-service commerce technology, has published its 2025 Micropayment Trends Report. Analyzing millions of 2024 transactions across the vending, micro markets, and Smart Stores segments, the report reveals a significant dominance of cashless payments, with 96% of micro market and 100% of Smart Store transactions being cashless. Vending transactions also saw an impressive 77% performed through card or mobile pay methods.
The report indicates that smart retail formats are becoming increasingly popular among consumers, who spent 27% more per transaction at micro markets and 101% more at Smart Stores compared to traditional vending machines. These formats are expanding into non-traditional locations such as apartment buildings and gyms, driven by consumer preference for higher-margin goods like fresh food and essentials.
The trend towards cashless payments continues to grow, with tap-to-pay methods becoming the standard in self-service environments. Despite inflation pushing up the cost of consumer goods, self-service sales have remained resilient, with food and beverage vending sales exceeding $3.5 billion in 2024, and micro market sales reaching over $1 billion for the first time.
Cantaloupe's data highlights that consumers using cashless payment methods are less sensitive to price changes, allowing operators and retailers to maintain revenue growth through cashless solutions. The company forecasts an 8% growth in vending machine sales and a 40% increase in micro market sales in the coming year, emphasizing the potential for continued expansion of Smart Stores in convenience services and retail sectors.
Ravi Venkatesan, CEO of Cantaloupe, Inc., notes, "Operators and retailers who embrace today's cashless and smart retail technology are reaping the rewards with higher sales and the ability to service customers in places they weren't able to before." With Cantaloupe's comprehensive suite of solutions and growing market presence, the company is well-positioned to lead advancements in digital payments and self-service retail innovations.
